Canadian Stereotypes

What do you know about the canadians? They are extremely polite, they are hockey lovers, is the land of Justin Bieber, and bear is like their pets.

Now we show you some of more typical canadian stereotypes that you can find on internet.

Canadian Stereotypes

Like most countries, Canada and its population has a few stereotypes that people expect to be true when they visit. Such things as “riding a polar bear to work” or “dogsledding” everywhere because it is winter all year round in Canada are obviously not true and people find this out quickly if they arrive in British Columbia in the middle of August and find that the majority of the inland is a desert.

There are, however, several stereotypes on the list that people seem to always come up with that are absolutely – or at least partially – true about Canadians. While it is amusing to poke fun at Canada for these little quirks, most Canadians would agree that they would rather be called nice and apologetic as well as being the best hockey nation in the world than be confused with Americans – but even then they would probably apologise for any offence caused to the US.

Canada has some of the most amazing landscapes in the world, with deserts in the summer, glaciers all year round, amazing ski resorts in the winter and the best overall infrastructure that provides the good sense to enjoy it. It also boasts some of the best skiing in the world, some of the best lake destinations in the world, thousands of great golf courses, and over 30 million of the nicest people you will come across in your life.

What is more, they will probably offer to buy you a nice, strong, Canadian beer if you sit down and have a chat with them – or at the very least you’ll get one of those famous Tim Horton coffees, so it’s often a good thing that some of these stereotypes about Canada are actually true.

15. They Don’t Feel The Cold Like Brits

Giphy

While the stereotype that it is always freezing cold in Canada or that they all live in igloos and ride polar bears and sled dogs to work is not true, in the winter Canada gets extremely cold for months on end. In the summer it can get up past 40 degrees Celsius for months, but when it’s -40 in the winter and the snow is piling up so much on the roof that it needs to be cleared off or it will cave in, the hot days are hard to remember.

Thankfully though Canadians just do not seem to feel the cold quite like other people though. -10 or -15 in the winter seems to be no reason for true Canadians to wear a nice big jacket like tourists do, and no self-respecting Canadian will ever forego an outdoor activity to wait for a slightly warmer day. They experience the elements on a daily basis and seem fairly immune to the cold weather and snow.

14. They Don’t Want Justin Bieber Back

They Don’t Want Justin Bieber Back

The Beebs certainly gets a fair amount of flack for his career, his music, and his general behaviour, and for this reason most Canadians do not really want him back. There was an online, yet extremely unofficial, petition about a year ago in the United States that circulated to deport Justin Bieber back to Canada, and when the Canadians got wind of this idea they started their own to show that he wasn’t exactly welcome back anyway.

All joking aside, the Beebs has had a successful career being a teen star and knows how to work his audience and make money while he can. It’s probably true that Canadians are secretly proud of his success though, obviously, they would never actually admit to it.

13. They Grow The Best Weed Outside Of Jamaica

I’m stoned

This is something most people will not learn until they take a trip to British Columbia, the province on the west coast of Canada. With a climate that gets up to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, a high level of humidity, and enough space to hide those expensive crops in enormous fields that will never be searched, BC has everything that growers need to create some of the best bud in the world.

Most of the weed farmers in BC are able to hide their grow-ups amidst regular crops so that they can only ever be seen from the air, and it seems as though it is only a matter of time before Canada becomes the next country to legalize marijuana as it has become a multi-billion dollar industry in most provinces in the Great White North.

It’s also not surprising then that 4/20 is one of the most celebrated holidays on the Canadian calendar. The cloud of smoke surrounding the parliament buildings every year in protest of weed being illegal can be seen from quite a distance.

12. They Are Proud That They Are Not The USA

Canadians Are Proud That They Are Not The USA

This is a big one for most Canadians, who will be nice about being proud that they do things a little different than their downstairs neighbours though. One way to describe Canada’s relationship to the United States is that they are proud not of what they do, but of what they don’t do – but that America does.

Americans certainly make it their mission to laugh a little at the Monopoly money Canada uses as its currency, proclaiming that Canada is merely the USA’s hat, but Canadians sit back, drink some Coors Light, and get free healthcare to fix all the bones they break playing hockey, which those cocky Americans can’t do down in the land of the free and home of the brave.

11. EVERYONE Identifies As Irish Or British In Some Way

EVERYONE Identifies As Irish Or British In Some Way

This is something that makes no sense until you witness a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. St. Patrick’s day in Canada is arguably one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year, with most of the bars opening early and closing late to allow for as many drinking hours in the day to be spent in the pub.

Very few Canadians seem to identify as being Canadian and instead explain that six generations back they are from Ireland or England or Germany or France or somewhere else in Europe. They’re not wrong as their country was founded on immigration, but for a country that has a lot of national pride, they seem to lack a little bit of national identity.

One thing about the USA is that they all seem to be proud to be American.

10. Canadians Can All Ice-Skate Well – Even If They Say They Can’t

Canadians Can All Ice-Skate Well – Even If They Say They Can’t

Never trust a Canadian who says he cannot skate: it must be in the school curriculum or something since they all seem to know their way around a rink or a frozen lake. They will, however, be really nice about this ability and will never make you feel like a foreigner for needing to take your time while they cruise past you backwards.

This also goes both ways. Canadians, despite quite enjoying football, have just no idea of how good the standard is in the UK. Their stereotype of Brits is that they are all incredible at the beautiful game, and compared to Canadians, they actually kind of are. After all, when was the last time you heard of a Premier League club shelling out millions of pounds for the next big Canadian talent?

Exactly.

9. Canadians Love Some Good Ol’ Country Music

Whether it’s “Florida Georgia Line,” “Kenny Chesney,” “Corb Lund Band,” or “Great Big Sea,” Canadians really do enjoy their country music: it’s all part of the country’s culture and represents a large portion of popular music on the radio and on TV.

Of course the music that is famous around the world is also famous in Canada, but they add a little something extra by throwing in the occasional country music tune in the clubs on Friday and Saturday nights. What’s more, Canadian broadcasting laws ensure that in order to promote Canadian artists, a certain percentage of Canadian-made and produced music must be played on radio stations and on TV.

This is just another way that Canadians show their national pride.

8. The Canadian (Welland) Tuxedo – Jeans, Jean Shirt, And Jean Jacket

The Canadian (Welland) Tuxedo – Jeans, Jean Shirt, And Jean Jacket

The Canadian Tuxedo, the Redneck Tuxedo, it has plenty of different names… one thing that is certain is that the all-denim getup is something that is frequently seen in the slightly more “backcountry” areas in Canada. Throw in a denim cap and it’s likely that you’ve stepped off of the beaten track a little further and you will only hear country music tunes on the radio.

While a lot of younger Canadians would probably like to rid themselves of this stereotype, most will still have that incriminating denim jacket lurking in the back of their closet for a back country bushfire party. To be fair, it does match, and you really can’t knock the durability of the sturdy fabric.

7. Hunting And Guns Are The Norm

Hunting And Guns Are The Norm

Canadians don’t seem to take the gun laws in quite the same way that Americans do but there are certainly more hunting rifles per household in Canada than in the UK for example. The right to “bear arms” in the States is a little different to the mentality in Canada that sees most Canadians who own guns participate in responsible hunting of authorized game like deer, caribou, moose, and duck rather than shooting at each other.

Canadians are fairly responsible with their household weapons as they know that the red-coated mounties will be all up in their business if they misbehave.

6. They Have Stronger Beer Than America

All Canadians seem to be proud of their drinking prowess, knowing full well that their beer is stronger than the “water” that is commonly served south of the border and they are not afraid to express this sentiment publicly. Of course, Canadians will gloat in a friendly way and convince you that their beer is stronger and better by buying you one or offering you a free one. Canada really is a pretty great place to be thanks to the people, the beer, the hockey – and the snow eh?

Tim Hicks seems to list off a fair few reasons why he thinks Canada is better than the States in the above song, and it’s hard to argue that stronger beer isn’t certainly something to be proud of.

5. Tim Horton’s Coffee Is The Fuel Of The Nation

Tim Horton’s Coffee Is The Fuel Of The Nation

Timmy’s beats any coffee chain in the world for many reasons: it’s reasonably priced, delicious (despite the rumours that they were putting cocaine in it to get people addicted to it – that just was not true) and the donuts are incredible. What’s more, when it’s -40 degrees outside, the best thing in the world is a hot bowl of Tim Horton’s chili.

It seems to be the way to get the job in an interview to just bring a box of donuts and some coffee for everyone there. A hockey game in Canada just would not look right without a red cup in the hand of every fan in the stands, and it’s a feeling of home for Canadians when they see their first Tim Horton’s after being away for any length of time. If you know what “Roll up the rim to win” means, you’ve spent enough time in Canada to understand.

4. You Either Love The Leafs Or Hate Them More Than Anything

You Either Love The Leafs Or Hate Them More Than Anything

In football this could be equated to Manchester United or Arsenal – people either love or hate them, or love to hate them. With the Toronto Maple Leafs though, there is much less to back up the incredible support that the team receives. The last time the Leafs won a Stanley Cup was the year after England managed their only World Cup win, so most fans now haven’t even lived through a winning season.

What is more, the Leafs tend to miss the playoffs in spectacular fashion or clutch defeat from the jaws of victory. Two seasons ago, after their longest playoff drought (the only team to miss the playoffs every year between the two lockout seasons), they made the playoffs and had a chance to advance to the second round. At 4-1 up with 9 minutes to go in the third period, Toronto forgot how to play the game and handed the series to the Boston Bruins.

Perhaps if Toronto were a little more consistent their fans would have to spend less time defending them and the rest of the country could get behind them a little.

3. Everyone Is Crazy About Hockey

Everyone Is Crazy About Hockey

Just like the Brits are crazy about football, the Canadians are crazy about hockey, so much so that it’s not an uncommon occurrence to see shops closed during the NHL playoffs with a sign in the door explaining that the proprietor is busy watching the game. Canada is allowed to be proud of their hockey thanks to their impressive performances in recent Olympics as well as their overwhelming majority of players in the NHL despite only having seven Canadian franchises.

The difference between Canada and England in this regard is that although both countries are passionate about their sport, Canada would certainly never get knocked out of a major international hockey event in the group stages…

Hockey is also the only time you’ll see Canadians get particularly violent. Thankfully most of the fighting stays on the ice and the guys share a beer between the gaps in their teeth after the game is over.

2. Canadians Are Really Nice People

Canadians Are Really Nice People

There are not many places in the UK where you could accidentally spill your beer on someone else at the pub and they would apologise to you and ask you if you were alright. In Canada, that’s pretty much the norm.

In particularly friendly parts the guy you spilled on might even offer to buy you another beer just to make sure things are ok and that he did not offend you. Niceness is something that does not really have a downside. Canada is a great place to live because the majority of people you run into are genuinely concerned for your well-being and want you to have a good day.

1. People Say “Eh” After Everything

This one is probably one of the more common stereotypes about Canadians on this list. The truth of it is that a lot of Canadians do reel off a fair few utterances of “eh” throughout the day and it becomes noticeable after someone points it out.

It seems as though Canadians might lack a little conviction in whatever they are saying as most sentences seem to end with an upward inflection and the question “eh?” It’s almost like they aren’t quite sure: “The weather is great today eh?”

Are you Canadian? Do you agree with these stereotypes? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.

9 COMMENTS

I’m Canadian and I don’t say “eh” after everything, but I do use it more than some words… there are many sentences that I will use eh after. For example, if I was asking someone what they wanted, say, for dinner, I might use eh after the question. Another thing you should have added is the insane use of the letter “U.” Colour, neighbour, labour, etc etc.

[…] Hockey Players?” You say. But in reality, if you look deep into the country through all the stereotypes, you realize that Canadians are just normal people, not very different from you and me. But now you […]

First of all, we don’t have guns, they are illegal. And, we do say sorry a lot when misfortunes happen, even when their not ours. We are just generally nice people. Plus, weed is now legal but that doesn’t mean we grow it ourselves. Moat of these stereotypes are false, but stereotypes are generally false so don’t believe everything you hear.